Term

Glossary

Wine terminology explained from an importer’s perspective — practical, not academic.

B

Biodynamic Viticulture

Agriculture as a living system — Rudolf Steiner’s approach applied to wine

Biodynamic agriculture treats the vineyard as a self-sustaining organism, guided by lunar and cosmic rhythms, herbal preparations, and a philosophy that dates to Rudolf Steiner’s 1924 lectures. In Champagne, it is practiced at its most extreme.

Brut Nature / Zero Dosage

Champagne with nothing added after disgorgement

Brut Nature (also called zero dosage or non-dosé) is champagne with no sugar added after disgorgement. It represents the purest expression of the base wine and terroir, and has become a hallmark of the natural champagne movement.

M

Mousiness

The natural wine controversy you can taste — or can’t

Mousiness is a wine flaw caused by tetrahydropyridines (THPs), producing a stale, popcorn-like aftertaste. About a third of people cannot detect it. It has become the defining controversy of natural wine.

P

Peppering

Rudolf Steiner’s radical pest management — burning insects to repel their kind

Peppering is a biodynamic pest management practice drawn from Rudolf Steiner’s 1924 agricultural lectures. Dead pest insects are burned to ash, diluted in water, and sprayed on vines. It sounds like folklore until you watch someone devote their livelihood to it.